photo: Dustin May (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
The St. Louis Cardinals signed starting pitcher Dustin May and added a promising reliever in the Rule 5 Draft. The Draft Lottery was not kind, with the Cardinals to pick 13th. Our history feature looks back at key events this past week in team annals.
Cardinals add free agent pitcher
On Saturday, multiple sources reported that the St. Louis Cardinals have signed right-handed pitcher Dustin May to a one-year contract, pending a physical. The team has not confirmed the deal.
The 28-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in the third round in 2016 and spent five full seasons with Los Angeles. He was traded at the 2025 deadline to the Boston Red Sox. The right hander has been plagued by injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2023 and surgery for an esophageal tear that kept him from returning to pitch in 2024.
May made 18 starts for the Dodgers in 2025, posting an ERA of 4.85 with 97 strikeouts. He was traded to Boston on July 31, just one day after the Dodgers announced they were moving May to the bullpen. May then made six uneven starts with the Red Sox before his season ended prematurely with right elbow neuritis.
If May can remain healthy, he has high upside potential. He is expected to join 2025 holdovers Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, Andre Pallante, Kyle Leahy, and new acquisition Richard Fitts in the starting rotation mix. Only McGreevy and Liberatore seem to have a guaranteed rotation spot, while the rest will be competing in spring training.
The financials of the deal with May are currently unknown.
Winter Meetings fruitful, though no deals
President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom was reportedly quite busy during the Winter Meetings that concluded on Wednesday, December 10. Though no transactions were finalized, Bloom engaged in talks with multiple teams regarding possible trades for Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. It has been reported that the preliminary negotiations for the just announced Dustin May deal took place at the meetings in Orlando.
The Cardinals did, however, make one acquisition for the major league roster and one more for the player development system via the Rule 5 draft that took place on the last day of the event.
The team acquired RHP Matt Pushard from the Miami Marlins in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft. Pushard was added to the 40-man roster and must remain on the active 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season (unless injured) or be claimed off waivers or returned to the Marlins.
In the minor league phase of the draft, the Cardinals took RHP Ryan Murphy from the Giants, who ended the 2025 season on San Francisco’s Double-A affiliate the Richmond Flying Squirrels. In the minor league phase, teams may keep the player without restrictions.
The Cardinals lost one player in the Major League phase and three players in the minor league phase. The Yankees took RHP Cade Winquest from the Cardinals in the Major League phase. Conceivably, Winquest could be returned to the Cardinals if he doesn’t work out for the Yankees and isn’t claimed off waivers by another team.
In the minor league phase, the Cardinals lost RHP Sean Harney to the Diamondbacks, OF Matt Lloyd to the Red Sox, and RHP Zane Mills to the Cubs.
Another event that occurred at the Winter Meetings was the Draft Lottery. The Cardinals had another chance to get a top pick in the 2026 draft. However, the team’s position fell to 13th, after St. Louis picked seventh in 2024 and fifth in 2025.
All in all, the Cardinals made headway during the meetings and did not come out of them empty-handed.
News and Notes for the Offseason
This section in the coming months will contain information and snippets of news that don’t require extensive coverage but are of interest to Cardinals fans.
- Broadcaster Joe Buck, 56, a St. Louis native and son of the late Cardinal Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck, is the 2026 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. Buck is the second youngest recipient of the award after 54-year-old Vin Scully, who won it in 1982. Buck prevailed over many deserving finalists, including current KMOX Cardinals radio announcer John Rooney.
- The Cardinals announced their 29th annual Winter Warm-Up fan festival and Cardinals Caravans. The former, reduced to two days in 2026, will be held at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday, January 18. Details here.
- Seven Cardinal ticket packs are now on sale. Information on purchasing them can be found
- “Banana Ball” will return to Busch Stadium in 2026. The Savannah Bananas popular entertainment baseball team will come to Busch Stadium on Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22 as part of their world tour.
More information about the event and how to get tickets can be found here.
The Big Picture
The Winter Meetings are over, and though no big deals were made, the Cardinals still made progress in their efforts to rebuild the franchise. They acquired two pitchers in the Rule 5 draft, and apparently began negotiations for a third pitcher, Dustin May, whose deal with the Cardinals was disclosed on Saturday, pending a physical. Plus, a 40-man roster move must be made to open a spot for May.
Thus, two new pitchers have been acquired for the major league roster, one a starter and the other, RHP Matt Pushard, likely going into the bullpen. A third pitcher, right hander Ryan Murphy, is headed to the minor leagues.
The Cardinals continue in their efforts to trade veterans Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, plus possibly Brendan Donovan and JoJo Romero if the right package is offered. Though remote, the potential still exists for all four of the above players to still be with the team when the 2026 season begins. POBO Chaim Bloom has ruled out releasing Arenado, and a trade of Contreras is contingent on him waiving his no-trade clause.
Donovan and Romero reportedly have multiple suitors for their services, but there is no guarantee that any interested team will agree to the Cardinals’ demands. The price for Donovan appears to be two top prospects, a cost that may eliminate several teams. The Mariners and the Giants have been reported to be the front-runners for Donovan and the Yankees are the latest interested party for Romero. Bloom has the luxury of time on his side. The Cardinals’ rebuilding efforts are a multiyear project so he can wait for the 2026 trade deadline or possibly beyond to obtain the deal he wants.
Stay tuned for more happenings as the offseason continues.
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
- Will Sammon of the Athletic reported the Mets’ interest in outfielder Lars Nootbaar and first baseman Willson Contreras. Since that report was filed, the Mets signed infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year deal. Polanco is expected to play 1B/DH for the Mets. As for Nootbaar, the Mets interest in him is as a replacement for the departed Brandon Nimmo. However, as mentioned in this space last week, Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch wrote that other interested teams who have inquired have been told the Cardinals are not actively shopping the rehabbing outfielder.
- Though the Mets may be out as a suitor for Contreras, the Boston Red Sox are now in. Per Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox have interest in Contreras after missing out on free agent Pete Alonso, who recently signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Contreras has softened his stance from last season regarding his willingness to waive his no-trade clause and leave St. Louis. The Cardinals have already made one trade with Boston this offseason, and having his former teammate Sonny Gray on the team could help make the Red Sox an acceptable destination for Contreras.
- Another hot trade candidate from the Cardinals is LHP JoJo Romero. The team has received many calls on the reliever and the New York Yankees are a recent addition to the list, according to Goold. While Romero can certainly be dealt for the right price, Goold writes that the Cardinals may decide to keep the southpaw. The Cardinals are currently looking to add relief help. Another addition, especially a left-handed one, may allow the Cardinals to be more willing to trade Romero.
- With reportedly nearly half the league showing interest in super utility player Brendan Donovan, the Mariners and the Giants appear to be the front runners, says Katie Woo of The Athletic. Woo states that specific prospects have been discussed with both teams. In each case, two top prospects appear to be the asking price for Donovan. Both teams are reportedly in on second baseman Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks as well, though Donovan’s versatility could give him the advantage. Woo also writes that the Mariners’ loss of infielder Jorge Polanco to the Mets may make Seattle the more aggressive of the two suitors, while the Giants are said to be exploring all available options to upgrade the second base position.
Transactions
- 12/10 The Cardinals purchased the contract of RHP Matt Pushard in the Rule 5 draft.
- 12/13 The Cardinals signed free agent RHP Dustin May.
Injury Report
- There are no further updates on recovery from offseason surgeries of Masyn Winn, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Iván Herrera. Stay tuned to this space for any future updates.
Looking Ahead
The Winter Meetings have concluded. The Cardinals did not finalize any deals but did make progress with rebuilding efforts. As the offseason continues the team looks to trade some players from the roster and add to it with players acquired in trades and free agent signings.
More deadlines are on the horizon as we close out December and enter 2026.
The closing date for the signing of international amateurs is December 15, 2025. The next signing period begins on January 15, 2026.
The next key date on the offseason calendar is January 8, 2026, the deadline for teams and their arbitration eligible players to exchange salary figures. As of this writing, the Cardinals have seven arbitration eligible players. They are Alec Burleson, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, JoJo Romero, Andre Pallante, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore.
The annual Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up will take place on Saturday, January 17 and Sunday January 18, 2026. The Cardinals Caravan, which runs in conjunction with the Winter Warm-Up, begins on January 16, 2026. Details on can be found here and here.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past will continue with the series highlighting notable events that occurred in the history of the franchise during a relevant period. The offseason brings occasions such as awards, retirements, baseball transactions, and other interesting events.
In this installment, we look at events that occurred during the period December 8 through December 14. For each, its date, individual(s) involved, a description of the event, and any other relevant details are provided.
December 8, 2015 – The Cardinals traded OF Jon Jay to the San Diego Padres for infielder Jedd Gyorko and cash.
December 8, 2019 – The Veterans Committee selected C Ted Simmons for Hall of Fame induction in July, 2020.
December 9, 1980 – The Cardinals acquired reliever Bruce Sutter from the Cubs for OF Leon Durham and IF Ken Reitz.
December 9, 2016 – The Cardinals signed OF Dexter Fowler to a five-year/$82.5 million contract. Fowler’s contribution to the Cardinals was mixed, and he was ultimately traded on February 4, 2021 to the Los Angeles Angels for a player to be named later or cash. It was a salary dump in essence. After suffering a season ending knee injury in April 2021 and a brief stint with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A team in 2022, Fowler retired from baseball.
December 9, 2022 – The Cardinals signed C Willson Contreras to a five-year/$87.5 million contract.
December 10, 1981 – The Cardinals acquired SS Ozzie Smith and RHP Steve Mura from the San Diego Padres for SS Garry Templeton and OF Sixto Lezcano.
December 11, 2010 – The Cardinals traded SS Brendan Ryan to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Maikel Cleto.
December 11, 2012 – The Cardinals traded 2B Skip Schumaker to the Los Angeles Dodgers for SS Jake Lemmerman.
December 13, 2003 – The Cardinals acquired RHP Adam Wainwright, LHP Ray King, and RHP Jason Marquis for OF J.D. Drew and C Eli Marrero. Wainwright was in the top three finishers for the Cy Young Award four times and played for the Cardinals for 18 seasons. Drew played for the Braves for one season and was traded. Marrero was also traded after one season in Atlanta.
December 13, 2017 – The Cardinals traded RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Sandy Alcantara, LHP Daniel Castano and OF Magneuris Sierra to the Miami Marlins for OF Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna played for the Cardinals for two indifferent seasons. Alcantara won a Cy Young Award with the Marlins and Gallen was a Cy Young finalist with the Diamondbacks.
December 14, 2007 – The Cardinals acquired 3B David Freese for 37-year-old OF Jim Edmonds.
December 14, 2017 – The Cardinals traded OF Stephen Piscotty to the Oakland Athletics for 2B Max Schrock and IF/OF Yairo Muñoz. Piscotty is a native of the Bay area and his mother had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) when the trade was made.
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